Guest blog by Bill Schlesinger, one of the nation’s leading ecologists and earth scientists and a passionate advocate for translating science for lay audiences. A member of the National Academy of Sciences, Bill has served as dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke and president of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies.

The AirKeepers program at Clean Air Carolina made a lot of positive impressions at the recent Air Sensors International Conference (ASIC) in Oakland, Calif.
ASIC attendees included regulatory scientists and engineers, air monitoring instrument manufacturers, academic researchers, regional community leaders, and community science groups. I met researchers from all over the U.S., but also Canada, Finland, Qatar, China, and Japan, and I’m sure I didn’t meet everyone.

By Miles O’Brien In a recent Op-Ed, environmental engineer Jason West implored the media to make the connection between intensifying storms and climate change. I couldn’t agree more. Just talking about the devastation of Hurricane Florence is not enough. It is...

Sponsored by Clean Air Carolina and the Duke University Environmental Health Scholars Program, the current issue of the NC Medical Journal includes a host of commentaries and articles covering everything from the impact of concentrated animal feeding operations on rural residents, to unexpected sources and effects of pollution, to local and statewide programs aimed at improving air and water quality.

I first heard about the Clean Air Carolina PurpleAir monitors on one of the regular Carolinas Integrated Sciences and Assessments teleconferences discussing the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network Drought Reporting program (CoCoRHaS). I looked Clean...

The last bike commute of the school year for ‘Two Wheel Tuesday’ was on June 5th. Some of our riders gathered at Freedom Park at 7:15 am to start at the beginning of our commute, others would join the ride along the route. I love this time of morning when the world hasn’t quite gotten going yet and we’re preparing for our seven mile commute to J.T. Williams Secondary Montessori School off of Statesville Avenue.

If you reside in one of North Carolina’s poorest counties, there is a greater chance that you are suffering from poorer health than are residents of wealthier counties. This disparate health outcome is further compounded by the fact that people with chronic diseases are often more vulnerable to the health effects of air pollution.

Ross, Marshall, and Hughes have been dedicated to tracking the air quality of the west side using special monitors provided by Clean Air Carolina. As the first AirKeepers to use the new home monitors, they have served as citizen scientists and have been collecting, tracking, and helping to interpret the air quality data captured by their devices.

Increasingly, we recognize the impacts of small airborne particles on our health. Breathing particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter, known as PM2.5, is estimated to cause more than 3 million deaths per year worldwide.